Crystal Palace - 2 (Dyer 5. Lombardo 12.)
Oxford United - 0

All Crystal Palace supporters breathed a sigh of relief when their club secured its' first win of the season. The Eagles attack was secured in this match during the first half, but tapered off during the second, with the match well in hand.

Oxford United ended what was a bad week with their third consecutive loss. Manager Malcom Shotton made multiple changes to his side that had poor showings earlier in the week, but he was unable to field a side that was able to compete in this match.

It was Sasa Curcic who set up Bruce Dyer's first goal of the season on the fifth minute. Curcic had a lot of space and utilized it well. He sent on a perfect pass to Dyer who cleared the defence and sent the ball past Phil Whitehead, just 15 yards out.

On the 12th minute, the Eagles added to their lead. Oxford conceded a freekick on the edge of the box. Attilio Lombardo sent the ball into the opposite corner of the net, leaving Whitehead at the near post.

The best that Oxford could amass was a weak shot on Fraser Digby, making his Palace debut in the goal. Into the second half, the opposition appeared to be getting more ball control, however the attack was lacking. The Eagles controlled this match in every aspect and the defence appeared to be well solidified from its' previous showings.

Herman Hreidarsson sent on a header from a Simon Rodger corner that just missed. Whitehead also made a great save on a moving Dyer. Oxford's attack managed just three shots on goal in this match, giving Digby the clean slate.

The result was well appreciated by the supporters and Terry Venables' side did not falter in this match. If our club can put together more showings like this, promotion will be very feasible. It is encouraging to see that our defence was better and commanded by Andy Linighan, who showed signs of leadership. This week the Eagles should gain some momentum with a solid home win over Torquay United in the Worthington Cup post a strong showing in the league.

Jonathan Collura

Palace: Digby. Austin. Smith. Curcic (Edworthy 65). Rodger. Linighan. Lombardo. Warhurst (Hreidarsson 25). Dyer. Jansen (Padovano 65). Mullins.

Oxford: Whitehead. Robinson. Powell. Gray. Davis (Marsh 45). Gilchrist. Remy. Windass. Weatherstone (Banger 58). Murphy. Hill (Whelan 45).
Booked: Robinson. Windass. Marsh.

Attendance: 14.827
Referee: Mr A. D'Urso (Billericay)